Selective signaling device.



H. E. JOHNSON & C. F. BQWER. SELECTIVE SIGNALING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 19'. I915.

I Patented May16, 1916.

QHHOW.

j UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY ENEU JOHNSON, OF LANSDOWNE, AND CHARLES E. BOWER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA; SAID BOWER ASSIGNO-B TO SAID JOHNSON.

SELECTIVE SIGNALING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application filed March 19, 1915. Serial N 0. 15,421.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HENRY ENEU JOHN- SON, of Lansdowne, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, and CHARLES F. BOWER, of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have jointly invented certain new and useful Improvements in Selective Signaling Devices, whereof the following 1s a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to selective signaling devices and in its present embodiment is applied to a telephone instrument for use on a so-called party line.

The object of the invention is to give a distinctive signal to the operator at the central station to indicate which one of a number of party line subscribers has called up said central station. by closing a circuit a predetermined number of times and thereby transmitting a signal each time the circuit is closed. The signal may be a lamp or any other suitable device, and the particular station calling up is indicated by the number of flashes of said lamp, or by the number of times said other signaling device is operated.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure I, is afront elevation of a desk telephone stand embodying the invention, the stem of said stand being shown broken away to expose the interior mechanism, and the signal shown diagrammatically. Fig. II, is a side elevation of a portion of the stem showing a retarding mechanism attached thereto. Fig. III, is a longitudinal sectional view of the dash pot.

In said figures, the transmitter 1,is mounted upon the upper end of the stem 2, which in turn is mounted upon the base 3, of the ordinary desk telephone stand. Pivoted within said stem 2, at the point 4, is the ordinary telephone receiver hook 5. Attached to the lower side of the inner end of said receiver hook 5, is the plate 6, having the teeth 7 and 8. The number of teeth depends upon the number of impulses or flashes of the signal which it is desired to be transmitted, each tooth acting to operate the signal once. A supporting plate 10, is secured within said stem 2, upon which are mounted the springs 11, 12, and 14. The spring 11, is of well known construction, and cooperates with the receiver hook 5, in the usual manner when This is accomplished the latter is operated by a subscriber. The binding posts 15, and 16, are connected with the springs 12, and 14, respectively, and to said binding posts are connected the wires 17 and 18, connecting with the lamp 19, of the signaling circuit.

For the purpose of preventing the receiver hook 5, from being operated too rapidly, I may provide a retarding mechanism connected therewith, which, in this instance, is shown as a dash pot, although obviously any other suitable form may be employed.

Upon the outside of the stem 2, the bearing block 20, is secured, in which the rock shaft 21, is mounted. Secured to said rock shaft 21, in line with the receiver hook 5, is the rocker arm 22. The outer end of said rocker arm 22, is connected to said receiver hook by means of the link 23. The rocker arm 24, is also secured to the rock shaft 21, and is connected to the piston 27, within the dash'pot 28, by means of the link 25, and bearing stud 26. The chamber 28, is secured to the outside of the stem 2, and is provided at its upper end with means for regulating Elie air supply and exhaust from said cham- The operation of the device is as follows: When the receiver hook is held down by the weight of the receiver,the teeth 7, and 8, occupy a position between the springs 11, and 12, but when the receiver is taken from the hook 5, the left hand end of said hook moves upwardly, and the tooth 7, engages the spring 12, to move it to contact with the spring 14. When the two springs 12, and 14, contact the signal circuit is closed and the lamp 19, or other signal in said circuit is flashed or operated once. During the further upward movement of saidhook 5,the tooth 7 snaps past the end of the spring 12, thus freeing said spring, which flies back to be engaged by the tooth 8, and moved by said tooth into contact with the spring 14, to close the signal circuit again momentarily and then fly back as the tooth 8, snaps past the end of the spring 12. The number of times the signal circuit is closed depends upon the number of teeth which cooperate with the spring contacts, and a different number is provided on the instrument of each subscriber of a party line.

The retarding mechanism is attached to control the upward movement of the receiver hook so that the flashes or signals shall be separated by a sufficient interval of time to enable the operator to readily ascertain the number of such flashes.

Having thus described our invention, we claim:

1. In a telephone stand, the combination of a stem, having a vertical supporting plate mounted therein, a pair of conductor springs mounted on said plate and supported thereby, and adapted to have their free ends brought into contact, a receiver hook pivoted within said stem, and capable of forcing said springs into contact, a spring supported by said vertical plate for operat ing said receiver hook, and means whereby said springs are brought into contact a predetermined number of times by a single upward movement of said receiver hook.

2. In a telephone stand, the combination of a stem, having a vertical supporting plate mounted therein, a pair of conductor springs, mounted on said plate, and supported thereby and adapted to have their free ends brought into contact, a receiver hook pivoted within said stem'above the free ends of said conductor springs, and provided with teeth adapted to bear against one of said conductor springs, and force it into contact with the other, and so spaced that the spring will snap back and break the contact before being forced into another contact by the next succeeding tooth.

3. In a telephone stand, the combination of a stem, having a vertical supporting plate mounted therein, a pair of conductor springs, mounted on said plate and support- 1 ed thereby and adapted to have their free ends brought into contact, a receiver hook pivoted within said stem above the free ends of said conductor springs and provided with teeth adapted to bear against one of said conductor springs and force it into contact with the other, and so spaced that the spring will snap back and break the contact before being forced into another contact by the next succeeding tooth, and a retarding device connected with said receiver hook.

4. In a telephone stand, the combination of a stem, having a vertical supporting plate mounted therein, a pair of conductor springs, mounted on said plate, and su ported thereby and adapted to have their free ends brought into contact, a receiver hook pivoted within said stem above the free ends of said conductor springs, and provided with teeth adapted to bear against one of said conductor springs, and force it into contact with the other, and so spaced that the spring will snap back and break the contact before being forced into another contact by the next succeeding tooth, and a leaf spring bearing against one end of said receiver hook, whereby each tooth in turn bears against one of said conductor springs to force it into contact with the other of said conductor springs and then snaps past their ends. v

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto signed our names at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this seventeenth day of March 1915.

HENRY ENEU JOHNSON. CHARLES F. BOWER.

Witnesses JAMES H. BELL,

E. L. FULLERTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner 0! Patents, Washington. D. G. 

